In a statement, the NATO command in Kabul condemned the attack and called it “murderous and reprehensible”.

“The attack on the 209th Corps today shows the barbaric nature of the Taliban. They killed soldiers at prayer in a mosque and others in a dining facility,” U.S. commander John Nicholson said in the statement.

The base is the headquarters for the Afghan National Army’s 209th Corps, responsible for much of northern Afghanistan, including Kunduz province where there has been heavy fighting.